Foil cup and package and method of producing same



Jan. 10, 1961 G. L. CANFIELD EIAL 2,967,652

FOIL CUP AND PACKAGE AND METHOD OF PRODUCIYING SAME Original Filed April 5, 1956 IT I "II II I ll'llll Ill I IUIJHHI if) ill IIHI IIMIIIIIIIIII lllllll INVENTOR. GERALD L. CANF/ELD A/vo BILLY J. SCl/ELS/(E ixumuxued,

ATTORNEY United States Patent M FOIL CUP AND PACKAGE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Gerald L. Canfield, Carmel, and Billy J. 'Schelske, In-

dianapolis, Ind., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Ekco-Al'coa Containers, Inc., Wheeling, III., a corporation of Illinois Continuation of application Ser. No. 576,480, Apr. 5, 1956. This application Nov. 7, 1958, Ser. No. 773,540

3 Claims. (Cl. 229-55) Serial No. 576,480, filed April 5, 1956 and now abandoned.

The primary object of the invention is to produce, readily and inexpensively, a hermetically sealed package which will survive relatively rough handling, while protecting its contents.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, our invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described or in the specific steps stated, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a partially-formed cup which may be used as an element of a package in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view after a further step in the formation of the cup;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental section showing the upper portion of the cup after a further step in its preparation, and showing a lid loosely associated therewith;

Fig. 4 is a similar section of the package after sealing;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the package after the application of a hood thereto;

Fig. 6 is a fragmental section drawn to an enlarged scale and showing the fluted construction of the cup body; and

Fig. 7 is a similar section showing the construction of the cup lip.

Referring more particularly to the drawings it will be seen that we have shown, in Fig. 1, a cup indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 and comprising a bottom wall 11, perimetral walls 12 and a marginal lip IS, an outwardly facing, internal shoulder 14 being provided at the root or base of the lip 13. Preferably, the cup is drawn from aluminum foil originally formed with continuously-flaring, fluted walls, in accordance with conventional practices as disclosed, for instance, in the patent to Bruun 2,017,054. In a further step, the flutes 15 in the marginal portion of the walls 12 are then flattened as at 15', the shoulder 14 is formed, and the lip 13 is made substantially cylindrical, as shown.

Now, the distal edge of the lip 13 is outwardly rolled to form a marginal bead 16, according to the preferred 2,967,652 Patented Jan. 10, 1961 form of our invention, as shown in Fig. 2 and thereafter, a layer 17 of thermo-fluent material is suitably deposited on the shoulder 14 and on the adjacent portion of the lip 13.

The precise character of the sealant top layer 17 may vary with the character of the product to be packaged;

but it is contemplated that, whatever material is used, it will be substantially rigid at the temperature at which the packages are to be stored and fluent at or above the packing temperature of the product; but the melting point of the sealant must be substantially higher than that of the product to be packaged.

In the present specification, and in the claims appended thereto, the word fluent is defined to denote a condition of ready deformability under stress, short of running" under the effect of gravity.

Where the product to be packaged is a comestible, we prefer to use a modified paraffin as the sealant material. By modified paraflin, we mean a solution of one or more natural or synthetic waxes in paraffin, the waxes constituting not more than fifty percent of the entire mass, and being used to control the physical consistency of the solution at various temperatures. At times, in the present specification and in the claims appended thereto, we shall follow the practice of the art by referring to such a sealant as wax by which we mean a sealant substance which is structurally firm at room temperatures but which becomes fluent at or. slightly above the temperature at which the product to be enclosed in the package with which the sealant is to be used is customarily packed, the melting point of the sealant substance, however, being substantially higher than that of such product. The sealant must :be substantially impervious to air and must be capable of readily and completely wetting the material of the container and of the lid with which it is used.

The wax layer 17 may be applied to the. shoulder 14 and the lip 13 either manually with a brush or a flowing stream, or by means of suitable mechanism; but it is important that the layer 17 shall be continuous both peripherally and radially, shall extend inwardly from the lip a distance suflicient to underlie a peripheral region of a cover or lid 18 to be applied, and that it shall extend outwardly upon the lip 13 to an elevation substantially above the outer surface of such a lid when the latter is in place.

The layer 17 will be applied to the shoulder 14 and lip 13 while at a temperature above its melting point, whereby, as the sealant freezes, it will adherently retain its applied position. After the sealant has frozen, a lid 18 will be deposited thereon in the manner suggested in Fig. 3. The lid may be formed of any suitable material capable of being wetted by the sealant when in fluent condition, but such lid must have a substantial degree of rigidity in a radial direction. For most uses, we find a good grade of cardboard to be satisfactory as a lid material; but, if desired, the inner or outer faces of the lid, or both of them, may be covered with a layer of aluminum foil or the like.

Now, pressure is applied to the lip- 13 in a radially inward direction to flex the material thereof inwardly until at least a portion of the lip or of the bead 16 at its edge overlies the peripheral region of the outer surface 20 of the lid 18. As the lip is so bent, the sealant material will be caused to flow inwardly to overlie the peripheral region of the surface 20. In some instances, the heat resulting from the above-mentioned deforming pressure will be sufficient to accomplish the flowage of the sealant material; but in other instances, external heat must besupplied to that end. In either case, a portion of the sealant material will assume the position and condition indicated at 19 in Figs. 4 and 5, thereby completing the hermetic sealing of the lid in desired position.

memos If it is deemed advisable to protect the lid 18 against dust, moisture and the like, or to provide further structural strength for maintaining the lid in place, a hood 21 of foil or the like may be applied to the finished package and may have its rim 22 clinched about the bead 16 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5, in accordance with conventional practices.

The term pressure deformable sealant material as used in the appended claims means those sealant materials herein described as well as all others that provide the equivalent functions.

We claim: 7

1. A sealable container comprising a cup formed of foil sheet material defining a fluted frusto conical wall structure with a generally upstanding upper flexible marginal lip terminating in a curled bead, said lip being diametrically shrinkable from a cover receiving diameter to a cover securing diameter, an internal shoulder at the base of said lip, with the flutes being flattened at said lip and on said shoulder forming a flat cover receiving area, a relatively stiff flat cover for the container proportioned to rest on said flattened shoulder and spaced from said flattened lip above said shoulder, a continuous film of pressure deformable sealant material positioned on said shoulder and between the edge of said cover and said flattened lip when said lip is at its cover receiving diameter and said film being of lesser thickness and positioned on said shoulder and between the edge of said cover and said flattened wall and overlying the upper peripheral edge of said cover when said lip is at its cover securing diameter.

2. A sealable container comprising a cup formed from foil sheet material to define a fluted circumambient wall structure formed with agenerally upstanding marginal lip about its open mouth flexible from a cover receiving to a cover securing position and an internal shoulder-at the base of said lip, with the flutes being flattened at. said lip and on said shoulder forming a fiat cover receiving area, said lip terminating at its rim in a curled bead, a relatively stifi flat cover for the container proportioned to rest on said flattened shoulder and spaced from said flattened lip above said shoulder when said lip is in cover receiving position, pressure responsive deformable sealant material on said shoulder and between the edge of said cover and said flattened lip when said lip is in cover receiving position, said lip being flexed inwardly to a cover securing position cooperating with said cover to flow a portion of said material to the area between the upper peripheral edge of said cover and the flexed-in portion of said lip overlying said cover.

3. A scalable container comprising a cup and a relatively stiff flat cover, said cup being formed of foil sheet material defining a fluted wall structure with an outwardly extending upwardly facing continuous shoulder located near the upper edge of the side wall, and adapted to receive and support the cover with the edge of the cover spaced inwardly and uniformly with respect to the outer edge of the shoulder, said structure also having a flexible lip located at the outer edge of the shoulder and terminating in a curled bead, said lip being diametrically shrinkable from an open relation wherein said lip is in a generally upstanding relation and defines an effective opening through which the cover may be inserted onto said shoulder to a closing position wherein said lip extends inwardly to overlie a border portion of the cover, and a continuous annular body of deformable sealant on said shoulder and the inner face of said lip in position to spread into sealing engagement between the edge and the border portions of upper and lower faces of the cover when said lip is in its closing position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

